Chicken-Broccoli-Rice Casserole

This past weekend, I made my mom's chicken-broccoli-rice casserole, and it was to die for! Afterward, I made brownies from a box with Matthew! It was a wonderful dinner! This recipe is so good, I have to share it with everyone! I hope you don't mind, Mom.

Ingredients:
-2 to 3 Chicken Breasts, cubed
-4 tablespoons of butter
-1 whole small onion, or half a medium onion, diced
-1 cup or 4 stalks of celery, medium diced
-2 cans of cream of chicken soup
-2 cups of chicken broth
-2 cups of cheese, preferably cheddar
-3 cups of cooked rice
-Frozen bag of broccoli
-4 slices of bread, preferably whole wheat, cut into cubes (croutons)
-Pepper, no salt!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add cubed chicken. In a large pot or deep skillet melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and add onions and celery. After both veggies have been sauteed, add in cream of chicken and only a cup of chicken broth to start out with. Add all the cheese, and cooked rice. To have less pots to clean, I just buy three packs of Uncle Ben's microwavable rice. When chicken is done cooking in boiled water add to mixture. Microwave broccoli for about a minute, just to thaw it out a little, then add to mixture. Add pepper for taste. If mixture is too thick, add more chicken broth. You want it thick and not soupy. Remember, it's a casserole, not soup. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 casserole dish. Melt remaining butter in a skillet and add bread cubes. Once those are lightly toasted, place on top of the casserole. They will toast more in the oven and give a great crunchy texture to this meal. Don't mix! Place the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes. That should be plenty of time for all of the flavors to ooze together. Serve in a bowl, and to add a kick, it is great with Tiger sauce, located in sauce/dressing aisle. Bon Appétit!

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable."
-Ina Garten